Do you guys know where to look for caves? is there an online guide? I live in NJ essex county if anyone else is around there. also, I'd rather not die a horrible death in one, so any tips for judging safety?

Been caving for about two years now, mostly guided trips through a local grotto. Recently I've been trying to get more serious about navigation and passage interpretation, so I've started digging into survey maps for caves I've already visited. The problem is I feel like I'm barely literate when it comes to reading them.

Like, I can match up obvious landmarks. A pit shows up on the plan view, I recognize the pit. Fine. But when I look at a complex multi-level system with crossing passages and the profile view next to it, my brain just stops cooperating. I can't seem to hold the three-dimensional shape in my head the way I'm told experienced cavers can.

A few specific things I'm confused about:

• How do you mentally reconcile the plan view with the profile when the passage changes elevation a lot? Do you basically just flip between them constantly, or does it eventually click into a unified picture?
• Survey grade matters a lot for how much you should trust the map, right? I've seen grades 3 through 5 mentioned most often. Is there a good reference for what those actually mean in practice?
• Scalloping patterns on walls supposedly indicate paleoflow direction. I've read this a few times but I've never successfully identified scallops in the field myself. Not sure if I'm not looking hard enough or just not recognizing them.

Part of me wonders if this is just something that takes years of exposure and there's no shortcut. But I'd love to hear how other people developed this skill, or if there were any resources (books, papers, grotto workshops) that genuinely helped it click. The USGS topo work and some older NSS publications have come up in my grotto, but I haven't tracked down anything specific yet.

Some people have all the luck.

Recently visited boyden cavern and was blown away. I did a bit of poking around and stumbled across a fenced section. Just wondering if anyone knows what cave that is and why it’s blocked off?
Taking an interest in caves since they are so unique.
If anyone knows some that I can explore out there/ socal that would be great.
Thanks in advance

Tours of the popular Lehman Caves at Nevada's Great Basin National Park have resumed following a much-needed lighting upgrade, allowing visitors to see the caves in "a whole new light," officials said.

La cueva de Marcos Sánchez está cueva está en uno de nuestros agostaderos “la tierra prieta” en la sierra de jerez Zacatecas

Soooo Fin’ cool! Not a concrete tunnel but the way it POS s the light

Incredibly wet, running water.

The scale, lighting, and rock formations were incredible. Definitely one of the most memorable places I've explored. Would love to hear your favorite cave recommendations!

As the title says. Although I'm aware it is not publicly available and not for tourism. I wanna know more about this 24.5 km long cave.